Editorial Calls for Standard Benefits in State Exchanges
A Los Angeles Times editorial calls the Obama administration's proposal to allow states to determine what "essential benefits" health plans will be required to cover in state insurance exchanges "politically deft," but it notes that "creating a patchwork of 50 different standards for health coverage would be bad policy." The editorial states that establishing a national standard of basic coverage requirements would be difficult, but "defining essential benefits the right way -- considering effectiveness as well as coverage -- is crucial to controlling costs." The editorial argues that a national standard for defining essential benefits should be implemented by the federal government as soon as possible to guarantee fair and comprehensive coverage to all U.S. residents.
- "A Detour on Health Reform" (Los Angeles Times, 12/21).